Mattress and Boxspring Must Have Proper Support

As a whole mattress warranties are very similar from one brand to another but do not assume that they are all the same. First and foremost is to read the warranty card that comes with a new mattress. The reason being is that all Mattress and Boxspring Must Have Proper Support and the warranty card explains what is and what is not covered. You do not want your boxspring to sag or break prematurely only to find that you were required to have center support from the beginning.

Today most boxsprings are not springy; they are rigid and non-yielding and go by the name foundation. Old time boxsprings may not provide adequate support for todays’ mattress because they give where they are not supposed too causing the mattress to appear as if it is sagging when it may just be an issue of a non-supportive foundation.

If foundations supports mattresses what supports foundations?

Order of Support from the bottom up: Frame, Box Spring, and Mattress. These three functional pieces work together to make up the bed. The frame regularly made of steel provides inflexible center support and in addition to support around the outer edges of the boxspring making the frame the key component base structure. The support needs to run the length of the boxspring or foundation which ever is being used and should also span the width. Sizes that require center support in order to comply with warranties are:

Queen

Split queen

Eastern king

California king size

Do I need a special bed frame?

There is not industry standard that is required but most will utilize heavy-duty tempered steel that is angled in an L-shape which is of equal length ranging from 1.25 to 1.5 this is sometimes called angle iron. Heavier angle iron is used to construct bridges and buildings, while lighter angle iron still very very strong is used for an assortment applications including heavy duty bed frames some of which are even adjustable. These steel pieces come together to frame up the sturdy wooden frame of the boxspring. Then steel supports are added to span either the width or length of the boxspring. There are feet added to give addition structural support to the frame and wide spans found on the larger size beds we mentioned earlier.

Why use a bed frame, do I need it?

The purpose of a Bed Frame is threefold:

To elevate and raise the boxspring and mattress’ height and get it off of the floor. This will make the bed easier to get in and out of.

To connect the headboard or headboard and footboard too

To offer a solid structure for the boxspring to sit upon while still offering support so the entire system cannot sag.

Most of the traditional beds in the USA require a frame as a connector for the headboard or both headboard and footboard such as the four-poster bed. Where as other parts of the world like Japan don’t use a box spring nor do they need a one because the mattress maybe a futon mattress and is placed directly on the floor or on a platform.

Author: Douglas Belleville

Doug Belleville and his father Dave own and run STLBeds - a specialty sleep store located in Arnold, MO. The staff at STLBeds is highly educated about sleep, comfort and their special sleep products. STLBeds only carries high quality mattresses and bed-related products. You won't find the brand names here - click here to find out why!